Writing about my Grammy feels a lot like describing myself. This woman, like my other featured family members, has given me treasured experiences and taught me many valuable lessons. More than anything, however, she has taught me a lot about what it means to be me.
My earliest memories of Gram involve nursery rhymes. When I spent the night, she would recite nursery rhymes at bedtime, and I loved trying to remember all the words. In one of my literacy courses in college, my professor expounded upon the importance of teaching children these rhymes, and I was grateful Grammy took the time with me. Taking time...that is pure Grammy. My mind fails to call up a picture of a more patient person. Have you ever taught an eight-year-old to knit? And crochet? And cross-stich?And embroider pillowcases with piggies? And line dance? She has.
Sleepovers were packed with new trades, games, and musical numbers. Car trips were spent memorizing state capitals and rounds of conversation in the "I'm going on a trip, and I'm taking an apple, a baseball, a carrot, and a drum..." family. It never mattered how many times I accidentally dropped the embroidery needle on the floor or tied a knot in the dishcloth I was making or failed to go the right direction in a line dance or forgot that Topeka was the capital of Kansas...this woman had then (as she has now) a limitless supply of patience. People often tell me how similar we are, but the gene pool failed to pass along that particular fruit of the Spirit.
When I wrote about Mom, I talked about learning the value of fun. This is a generational belief that becomes pretty evident in a small amount of time spent with my family. I cherish the times spent laughing around a table playing cards or board games more than just about anything else. Being old enough to join the table was a rite of passage in my world. It is a beautiful and precious thing to me that this has remained a constant in my life. On Christmas night, you will still find the Johnson tribe huddled around Grammy and Grampy's kitchen table, scarfing down my mom's chocolate chip cookies that never last past the 26th, playing cards, dominoes, dice, or a board game. If the last of us find ourselves in bed by 3:00 a.m., it's a fairly early night.
Lest you think us old-fashioned, I will add that Grammy is the one with the iPad, iPhone, and iPod. Just as I find myself doing (and have seen Mom doing), she likes to build herself a nest in her chair. Crosswords, reading material, knitting project, and various forms of electronic entertainment surround her. She is constantly finding new ways to challenge herself.
Some of my absolute favorite memories are from the time I spent living with Grammy and Grampy during a summer break from college. Every morning, I woke up and got ready for work, came down to breakfast on the table (this is when I fell in love with Gram's soft-boiled eggs), put in my eight hours with the kids, and came home to a healthy dinner. After dinner each night, I poured myself a fresh Mountain Dew (for a competitive edge) and set up a table by the couch. And each night, without fail, Grammy skunked me at Perquackey. It quickly became my favorite game. When I did beat her, I would proudly display the score card on the fridge. One one particular evening, we were making words with the dice, and Grammy made a word that will live in infamy in my mind. She didn't know the word had a naughty meaning, and I had no idea the word was ever used legitimately; when she spelled it out proudly, I actually fell off the couch. I laughed until my stomach was clenched into a knot and breathing was not even an option. This got both Grammy and Grampy howling which only compounded my own cackling. Meanwhile, Grammy continued to ask me what in the world was so funny while repeating the word in question. To this day, I have never laughed harder, and that is saying something!
My other favorite memories involve Broadway...shocking, huh? It seems Grammy is the source of my love for all things Great White Way. When I was very young, Grammy used to listen to the Cats soundtrack with me. We even had the sing-along book which proved helpful. When the tour came to Evansville a few years ago, I knew we had to go. We got the tickets, and we ended up running through a rainstorm so vicious it broke our umbrella and ruined Grammy's shoes. Undeterred, we carried on to see the magical Mr. Mistoffelees. This past Christmas, we bought each other tickets to see South Pacific. I fought to get the presale password and scored front row seats. There is no one I would rather have shared that experience with than Gram. See What are you for? for details!
I look at Grammy and see a lady whose strength is sometimes grossly underestimated. She has faced truly difficult situations and dealt with tremendous loss; however, she maintains a gentle spirit and a faithful heart. She lives in a world that chews up and spits out the "cockeyed optimists," but she hasn't let it dictate who she is--a true steel magnolia. I am proud when people tell me I am like her.
Yes, we will talk about our dreamy hubbies. We will search for new games to make us happy. We will find strength when our hearts are breaking. We will believe that we serve a good God. We will recite Philippians 4:6-7 because the words must have been written straight from Paul to the two of us. And you can bet we'll be in the front row of the next show--sighing and singing and giggling.
When I wrote about Mom, I talked about learning the value of fun. This is a generational belief that becomes pretty evident in a small amount of time spent with my family. I cherish the times spent laughing around a table playing cards or board games more than just about anything else. Being old enough to join the table was a rite of passage in my world. It is a beautiful and precious thing to me that this has remained a constant in my life. On Christmas night, you will still find the Johnson tribe huddled around Grammy and Grampy's kitchen table, scarfing down my mom's chocolate chip cookies that never last past the 26th, playing cards, dominoes, dice, or a board game. If the last of us find ourselves in bed by 3:00 a.m., it's a fairly early night.
| Gamers |
Lest you think us old-fashioned, I will add that Grammy is the one with the iPad, iPhone, and iPod. Just as I find myself doing (and have seen Mom doing), she likes to build herself a nest in her chair. Crosswords, reading material, knitting project, and various forms of electronic entertainment surround her. She is constantly finding new ways to challenge herself.
Some of my absolute favorite memories are from the time I spent living with Grammy and Grampy during a summer break from college. Every morning, I woke up and got ready for work, came down to breakfast on the table (this is when I fell in love with Gram's soft-boiled eggs), put in my eight hours with the kids, and came home to a healthy dinner. After dinner each night, I poured myself a fresh Mountain Dew (for a competitive edge) and set up a table by the couch. And each night, without fail, Grammy skunked me at Perquackey. It quickly became my favorite game. When I did beat her, I would proudly display the score card on the fridge. One one particular evening, we were making words with the dice, and Grammy made a word that will live in infamy in my mind. She didn't know the word had a naughty meaning, and I had no idea the word was ever used legitimately; when she spelled it out proudly, I actually fell off the couch. I laughed until my stomach was clenched into a knot and breathing was not even an option. This got both Grammy and Grampy howling which only compounded my own cackling. Meanwhile, Grammy continued to ask me what in the world was so funny while repeating the word in question. To this day, I have never laughed harder, and that is saying something!
My other favorite memories involve Broadway...shocking, huh? It seems Grammy is the source of my love for all things Great White Way. When I was very young, Grammy used to listen to the Cats soundtrack with me. We even had the sing-along book which proved helpful. When the tour came to Evansville a few years ago, I knew we had to go. We got the tickets, and we ended up running through a rainstorm so vicious it broke our umbrella and ruined Grammy's shoes. Undeterred, we carried on to see the magical Mr. Mistoffelees. This past Christmas, we bought each other tickets to see South Pacific. I fought to get the presale password and scored front row seats. There is no one I would rather have shared that experience with than Gram. See What are you for? for details!
I look at Grammy and see a lady whose strength is sometimes grossly underestimated. She has faced truly difficult situations and dealt with tremendous loss; however, she maintains a gentle spirit and a faithful heart. She lives in a world that chews up and spits out the "cockeyed optimists," but she hasn't let it dictate who she is--a true steel magnolia. I am proud when people tell me I am like her.
Yes, we will talk about our dreamy hubbies. We will search for new games to make us happy. We will find strength when our hearts are breaking. We will believe that we serve a good God. We will recite Philippians 4:6-7 because the words must have been written straight from Paul to the two of us. And you can bet we'll be in the front row of the next show--sighing and singing and giggling.
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